Atletico Madrid ignore fans' protests over Tottenham striker Soldado

The Mirror says the £26million marksman was a target earlier this summer but the Spanish champions shelved their interest after a Twitter campaign from supporters against him.

Atletico fans - who resent the fact that Soldado came through the academy of their bitter rivals Real Madrid before making his name at Getafe and Valencia - began the hashtag 'UnAtletiSinSoldado' - translated as 'An Atletico Madrid Without Soldado'.

Atletico - who sold Diego Costa to Chelsea for £32million last month - tried to lure Romelu Lukaku from the Stamford Bridge club instead but the Belgian decided to join Everton permanently, while ANOTHER Blues player on their wishlist, Andre Schurrle, has refused to leave.

That leaves Soldado as a realistic option for Atletico coach Diego Simeone.